Civilism

Civilism is an ideology and political philosophy that advocates for utilizing the power of the state for the common good, as well as for the expansion of that state. Civilists often argue for a capable bureaucracy, public welfare, and abundant civil services. Civilists tend toward liberal social policies, contending that all sentient beings should be equal before the law. Civilism comes in both authoritarian and democratic tendencies.

Ideology and Philosophy

Tenets of Civilism

While civilism is far from a uniform ideology, certain theoretical concepts have influenced its political development, and remain consistent across most of its modern interpretations.

Primacy of the State

In juxtaposition to traditional and tribal modes of thinking, civilists contend that a unified nation-state is the natural form of existence and governance for sentient beings. Furthermore, civilists hold that the state is the ultimate source of authority and power for those within its borders, and is the foundation from which all of society is built. Civilists therefore see treason as the ultimate crime, viewing it as a crime against all of society, rather than simply against an individual, as most other crimes are. Civilists also view revolutionary thought with disdain for this reason, preferring gradual reforms from within the structure of the state.

Progression of Society

Civilists view the ideal societal progression as both constant and uniform across political, cultural, and economic spectrums. Many believe that progression in one aspect necessarily begets equal progression in the others. Through the lens of state primacy, civilists also view government as the most effective (if not only) way to progress society along these lines. It is for this reason that civilists often sponsor the arts, developments in political and ethical philosophy, growth-focused economic policy, and political youth organizations.

Universality of Law

Civilists often contend that in order for society to progress fastest, and in order for a state to remain both just and logical in its governance, all sentient beings must be treated equally under the law, regardless of ancestry, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. This is treated as both a just aim in and of itself, as well as a means through which to foster cultural acceptance of minority groups, thereby developing society along cultural lines. Universality of law is often, but not always, applied to leaders as well, with many civilists arguing that leaders are not above the law that they create. Civilism that rejects the universality of law is sometimes referred to as statism.

Civilist Policies and Positions

• Civilists promote the creation and constant expansion of a sprawling bureaucracy through which the state can govern, regulate, support, and engage in the political, economic, and cultural aspects of society.
• Civilists believe that the state is the ultimate tool through which societal issues can be solved, and support regulation of all aspects of life.
• Civilists support the development and expansion of public services such as infrastructure, educational institutions, public welfare systems, accessible healthcare, and criminal justice systems.
• Civilists promote the advancement of technology, magic, and academia as a means of progressing society.
• Civilists support liberal social policies, including equal rights and protections for people of all ancestries, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and religions.
• Civilists support capitalism as an economic system, but also support moderate regulation of the economy to the benefit of society and the state.
• Civilists promote freedom of the press and assembly to the extent that these freedoms are not used to hinder the tide of progress or the natural workings of the state.
• Civilists advocate for pragmatic and internationalist foreign policy, emphasizing international cooperation, foreign investment, and free trade.

Ideologies Within Civilism

Civilism is a broad ideology within which there are many conflicting schools of thought. The primary disagreement among civilists is about the necessity of democracy. Some civilists argue that it is both morally correct and more efficient for states to be authoritarian in nature in order for societal progress to remain unhindered by public opinion, while others argue that democratic states are more politically developed and better able to steer society through an ever-changing world.

Benevolent Absolutism

Authoritarian civilism, or benevolent absolutism, is a form of civilism that argues, through the lens of state primacy, that the state's authority is self-derived and self-evident, and that it therefore needn't be beholden to the whims of its ruled population. Authoritarian civilists rally behind an autocratic leader, supported by a capable bureacracy, who is able to use their personal wisdom in order to guide society through the stages of progression. This supporting bureaucracy may be somewhat autonomous, but is ultimately always beholden to the autocrat. Authoritarian civilists are almost always monarchists, viewing the monarch as the singular embodiment of the state, and seeing the veneration of royalty as a positive cultural development for a nation. Critics of authoritarian civilism claim that a society dominated by the rule of a single person cannot be reasonably expected to effectively govern and improve the lives of a large population, and that the existence of multiple factions within the state creates a more conducive environment for societal progression.

Democratic Civilism

Democratic civilism, sometimes called liberal civilism for its similarities to liberalism, contends that the primacy of the state is contingent on that state being representative of its ruling population, incorporating the concept of popular sovereignty into its philosophical basis. Democratic civilists argue that liberal democracy is a more politically advanced model of government, placing it further along the political progression of society, which civilist philosophy states will inevitably further cultural and economic development as well. There is no uniform conception of the structure of the state under democratic civilism, but major features often include a written constitution upon which the basis of the government is formed, free and fair elections to decide upon representative leaders, and power sharing between multiple instutions. Authoritarian civilists criticize these systems as unnecessary bloat that diminish the ability of the state to effectively govern and lead society through the stages of progression in favor of creating political discourse that hinders progress.

Socialism as Civilism

Some argue that socialism (in some or all of its forms) is a natural progression of the civilist ideology, noting that social ownership of the means of production can be framed as an economic progression of society. Civilists and socialists also often share similar short-term goals in the framework of multi-party democracy, with both often arguing for expansions of the state and public services, as well as for liberal social policy. Such comparisons, however, often come from civilists seeking to integrate socialist ideals into their movement, rather than from socialists themselves, who instead tend to be somewhat hostile toward civilism as an ideology. Orthodox socialism differs theoretically and philosophically from civilism in that it places the right to rule on the people themselves rather than the state, and views the state as one of many tools through which the working class can achieve justice and prosperity, rather than as the sole vehicle through which progress can be attained. Socialism also often differs from civilism in that it welcomes and fosters revolutionary thought, seeking an outright restructuring of society and the economy rather than the gradual reform that civilists argue for. Civilists who borrow from socialist ideals and rhetoric are sometimes called social civilists.

In Verun

Notable Civilists

• The New Order - Major Tamerinian political party credited as the first civilist organization. The Sages of the New Order were the first to notate the main tenets of civilist philosophy. (Democratic Civilism)
• Sir William Kordor - First president of Tamerinia and founding member of the New Order, deceased. (Democratic Civilism)
• Civilist Party of Nusama - Major Nusaman political party. Alleges to follow in the ideological footsteps of Empress Ferris I of Tayano, though she herself never identified as a civilist. (Democratic Civilism)
• Deus - King of Kingdom of the Fallen Stars. Known for his overarching reforms to the Kingdom's government in accordance with civilist philosophy, which he studied abroad in his youth in Tamerinia. Viewed by many as the contemporary symbol of benevolent absolutism. (Authoritarian Civilism)
• Various City-States - Many city-states have taken up the mantle of civilism as an effective way to not only invest in their own development, but also to legitimize their government in the eyes of foreign powers. Such examples include Altek in Inner Resurgia and Akht Kor in Kantor. (Authoritarian Civilism, Various)

Reception

Praise

Civilism has been praised for the development of many modern advancements in statecract and public welfare, such as standardized trade laws, public plumbing, and international customs. Such benefits as reductions in crime rates, increases in standard of living, and economic growth have been attributed to the success of civilist movements across many nations. Civilism has also been praised for its ideological rigor, with some describing it as the most sensible and logical of the common ideologies found across Verun. Civilist movements, factions, and organizations have formed in nearly every developed nation in Verun as well as in many local governments across stateless regions, and the development of civilist philosophy has had a profound impact on the political and philosophical trends of the post-High Conquest world, forcing many governments which are not strictly civilist in nature to make concessions to the movement.

Criticism

Criticisms of civilism come from across the ideological spectrum. One common complaint points to the sprawling, often kafkaesque bureaucracy that is characteristic of civilist states, often containing components with overlapping or unnecessary roles - one Tamerinian saying originating from the Silver Party jokes that "the Royalist tavern doesn't allow orcs, but the Civilist tavern makes you file with the Bureau of Alcoholic Ethics before you can drink". Civilist bureaucracy is variously decried as a gross overreach of state power, as unnecessary red tape that hinders efficient governance, or as simply obnoxious. Conservatives often bemoan civilists' perceived irrational obsession with progress, stating that reckless progressivism can lead to societal downfall, or simply appealing to the populace's love and respect for the past and present. Radicals and socialists criticize civilism for not taking the necessary steps to restructure society towards a truly equitable future, citing civilism's support of capitalism and gradual reform. Culturally, civilists have a reputation for being moralizing, and despite their social liberalism and internationalism, sometimes have very narrow definitions of what a "highly progressed" and "civilized" society looks like, paving the way for issues such as racism and xenophobia, and generating a tendency for civilist states to embark upon imperialist projects in the name of "civilizing" and "bringing progress" to underdeveloped areas.